Review Blog

Oct 25 2016

The great sock secret by Susan Whelan

Ill. by Gwyneth Jones. EK Books, 2016. ISBN 9781925335248
It is one of the great mysteries of our times. Ever since washing
machines were automated and readily available, pairs of socks have
been forever separated, never to meet their match again. And Sarah's
house is no different - there is a basket full of odd socks and her
mum is on a mission to find their partners.
But Sarah knows where they are - the fairy families that live in her
house are masters at repurposing them for all sorts of fun and games
- and she is desperate that her mother not discover the truth. She
even suggests that they take Max the puppy for a walk instead but
her mother is not to be deterred or distracted and so the great sock
hunt begins. However, even though she searches high and low, in
cupboards, behind doors, in the bathroom, under the furniture, and
in brother Thomas's bedroom, her mother's eyes are not as sharp as
Sarah's and she does not see what is really happening with the
socks. But when she is satisfied with the two she does find Sarah
breathes a sigh of relief - until her mother suggests that they now
start searching for lost pens...
This is an utterly charming story from the team that created the
outstanding Don't
think about purple elephants that reminded me of The
borrowers by Mary Norton (and which would be a great
read-together serial as a follow-on.) Like Sarah, the reader has to
have sharp eyes to find what has happened to the socks because so
much of the story is in the wonderful illustrations - a trait of
perfect picture books in my opinion.
Young children will take great delight in seeing what adults can't
as they try to spot all the fairies as well as suggesting what else
they might use the socks for. Maybe that is where all the missing
socks in their homes have disappeared to - watch them go searching
but don't let them tell! Miss 5 loved this - we read it over and
over during a recent visit and there was something new to discover
each time! And yes, The borrowers will be the next family
serial.
Barbara Braxton